Urijah wanted to go with Finley’s body, but Rafael’s caretakers had already driven both Finley and Athena to the mausoleum to prepare them for burial. Realistically, he knew it was foolish because Finley had already crossed over, and he was no longer in his body, but Uri wanted more time with his best friend before he said his final goodbye. He had found his way to the edge of the cliff once again. It was well past midnight, and the moon was high in the sky, calling to Urijah to spread his wings and take off. To let the beast loose, soar over the water, and just be.

“I’ve missed this place,” Sinclair said as he walked up behind Uri. “The five of us used to run all over this cliff, chasing one another before phasing and flying over the water below.”

“Five?”

“Frey was as much a brother as he was a cousin. Nick and Julian came along later. Our fathers were as close as two brothers could be, and they raised us together so we would be as close as they were.”

“Weren’t you afraid of being caught? By phasing, I mean.”

“We didn’t care. We were young Gargoyles with our whole lives ahead of us, and we thought we were invincible.”

Uri knew the feeling. He and Banyan had felt the same way back when they were young. Sitting here on the ground, mourning Finley, Uri knew none of them were truly invincible.

 “He loved you,” Sinclair whispered.

 “I know he did. He told me. It’s strange, really.”

“What is?” Sin asked, sitting on the ground next to Uri. He pulled his knees close and wrapped his arms around his legs. Sin didn’t look at him. Instead, he gazed out over the Ionian Sea.

“I think being immortal, we take things for granted, like our friends always being there. I know I took Fin for granted. I only knew him for twenty years. That’s like a drop in the bucket for some, but for me, it was a lifetime. He and I shared something I’ll never find with anyone else. I’ll never get those years back. I failed him.”

“You didn’t fail him, Uri. Finley was one of our best; you know this. He died protecting you. He died an honorable, warrior’s death. I know you think it should have been you, and if it had been, he is the one I would be having this conversation with. The exact same conversation. You were everything to Finley. Everything except a mate. Once he figured out Banyan was yours, Fin backed off.”

“He told me as much, but as I explained to him, Banyan and I cannot be together.”

“I don’t want to betray Banyan’s trust, but he explained the situation in New Orleans. I’m not taking sides here, but having had several human wives, I can understand why you were so upset when Banyan took your husband’s life. But having found my mate? There is nothing that compares to that. Don’t get me wrong. I loved the women I married. But what I felt for them cannot hold a candle to what I have with Rocky. There isn’t a word in any language that describes the intensity or depth of what I feel for her. I would dare to say the bond we share is stronger and deeper than what any others have ever felt before, and I have no doubt the others would argue that their bond is greater.”

“You think I should forgive Banyan.” It wasn’t a question. Uri could hear the underlying message in Sin’s words.

“I can’t imagine not forgiving Rocky for doing the same. What I’m getting at is maybe Banyan was wrong, and you aren’t his mate. Knowing how powerful the bond is, there’s no way you could deny Banyan as long as you have if he was fated to be yours. Since you haven’t felt the pull as greatly as he has, now that he has released you, it’s possible he will find his true mate and you yours. Maybe now you both can move on and find what you deserve.”

They sat in silence a few more minutes with Uri contemplating what Sin had said. It wasn’t that he never felt the pull; he did. And when Banyan released him from the bond, Uri’s beast had almost taken over. It knew the truth, and it felt the loss so deeply Uri didn’t think they would recover. Surprisingly, his shifter hadn’t forsaken him during the battle. It hadn’t been as vocal as usual, but it was still there. Maybe it couldn’t handle losing both Banyan and Urijah. What was a Gargoyle without its other half?

Sinclair stood. “We will be leaving at first light to head to the mausoleum, and after we have said our farewells to Mother and Finley, most of us are traveling back to the States. Rafael and Kaya are remaining, as Rafe has to meet with the Elder Council. You are welcome to stay here as well if you need more time. We can always send one of the jets back for you.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m ready to get home. Figure some things out.”

“Then we will see you at breakfast.”

Urijah remained seated long after Sinclair walked away. He couldn’t get Sin’s words out of his head. Was Uri wrong for not forgiving Banyan? Were they not mates? Banyan was gone. He had given up all hope of them ever being together. So Uri should move on with his own life. Right?

 

 

Mason stood in Willow’s room, hidden in the shadows, watching the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. It was something he did every night, unbeknownst to her. To anyone. Every night he tested his strength by not going to her. He thought he was making himself stronger by resisting the pull of his beautiful female, but the longer he went without claiming her, the harder it was to keep his beast in check. Rafael explained the pull and how it would only intensify until Mason made things official with Willow.

He was ready. In more ways than one. Being Gargoyle meant he was older than his years indicated. He didn’t appear eighteen. If anyone saw the two of them together, they would think Mason and Willow were the same age. If he claimed her now, he would continue aging for a few years, yet she would always look twenty-three. He was okay with that, and according to Willow, so was she. With Alistair dead, the threat to the mates was over, but that didn’t mean Willow was safe. She was human, and as such, was susceptible to all types of disease. When they mated, she would not only stop aging, but her body would become stronger and better equipped to fight off infections. It was another reason Mason was ready to complete the bond.

Now that Willow no longer needed a bodyguard twenty-four seven, Mason would be expected to focus on the future. He had been thinking on that for a while, and he had decided he wanted to become a chef. Having spent so much time around Priscilla, Mason had developed a love for cooking. It might not seem like the most alpha type of job to pursue, but everyone needed to eat. Mason had a good head for business, and with Rafael as a mentor, Mason felt he could eventually become a successful restaurateur. If things went the way he planned, he would own his own place, and he knew the perfect waitress to come work for him.

Tomorrow was for burying family and mourning them, and they would travel home afterwards. Come the next day, Mason would begin moving his life forward, and he couldn’t wait to make Willow his.

 

 

Dane was nervous. If he was still merely a human, he would have already beat his fists against his chest, tossed Marley over his shoulder, and dragged her to his cave, claiming her as his own. His cockiness had toned down since transitioning into this new being. He was now immortal, or as close as a being could be to one. He was stronger. Faster. But instead of feeling like he was the ultimate gift to women – namely Marley – he knew he was less than the others, because he was a half-blood. Before, he had seen himself as a prize. A handsome cop with the world by the tail. Now, he was still handsome, but he was part of a world filled with powerful beings who had all the same advantages he did. Probably more.

Instead of being a great detective who did his job and did it well, he was now Chief of Police, and he felt he was lacking. Kaya Kane had been one helluva chief, and hers were some mighty big shoes to fill, metaphorically speaking. As chief, he was responsible for a whole department of cops and detectives. Responsible for the well-being of his city’s humans. As a half-blood, he was just as responsible for the humans, but on the back side of things. Like tonight… Instead of being on his way to pick Marley up for supper and taking her back to his place to finally explain all about Gargoyles, he was on his way to meet up with Deacon and the others.

The Unholy just couldn’t wait one more night to cause chaos around the city. With a huge chunk of the Clan out of the country, he had been called in as back-up. Deacon and his group from the penitentiary were doing their best to corral the beasts, but instead of focusing on one area as they normally did, the Unholy were all over the place. As chief, it was Dane’s duty to warn the human population to stay off the streets. He had done that. After an impromptu news release was televised to warn everyone to remain indoors, Dane had called Marley and apologized for having to postpone their date. It was something she would have to get used to, being a cop’s wife, or in this case, a half-blood’s mate, but he wanted to be able to tell her the truth of why he had to reschedule.

After driving to one of the Stone Society’s warehouses they used as a cover for meetings such as this one, Dane removed his shirt and phased, taking to the skies with several Gargoyles. Using the communication devices Julian had perfected, Dane and the others talked to one another as they patrolled the city and took out as many Unholy as possible.

 

 

Urijah didn’t meet the others for breakfast. He returned to his room and showered while they were gathered together. By the time he joined them downstairs, everyone was packing up to leave. Additional SUVs were parked in the drive to accommodate their large group. Without saying a word, Matthew took Urijah’s bag from him and stowed it in the back of the vehicle he was sharing with Jasper and Trevor. From the sounds of things, Amelia had taken up with Remy and was fascinated with his bandaged arm. She insisted he ride with her and her parents, leaving Matthew to ride with Trevor. Uri knew Matthew didn’t mind. The young humans were best friends in spite of their age difference.

The fifty mile drive was filled with silence save the music coming from the radio. The station Trevor found played heavy metal, and that suited Urijah just fine. He let the thumping bass settle into his soul as they got closer to the mausoleum. Once there, he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, readying himself for what was about to happen. He exited the back seat and followed the others as Rafael and Kaya led the way to a courtyard. The mausoleum consisted of four buildings set up to form a broken circle. Placed in the middle were two caskets, neither one open.

Tamian was speaking to a beautiful redhead and a dark-haired male – Elizabeth and Xavier Montagnon. Gregor and Tessa made their way to where her parents were standing, and the two women hugged like they hadn’t seen one another in ages. Urijah knew it had been less than a year, because he had been there when Xavier vowed his allegiance to the Stone Society.

Rows of chairs were waiting for the mourners to fill them. Rafael stopped at the front row and addressed those in attendance, “We are all one family. There is no special seating arrangement. Please sit wherever and with whomever you choose.” He kissed Kaya before she took a seat next to Sophia and Nikolas. Rafael waited while everyone filled in all the seats. Standing between the two caskets, the King of the Gargoyles spoke reverently about both his mother and Finley.

Rafael placed his hand on the white casket and spoke softly. “Thank you all for being here. As I said, we are one family. A Clan who was brought together to remember not only these two before us, but the four who have been taken back to the States to be buried by their families. It is no secret there was a strain between our mother and us. It was only in the past year I began to understand why Athena behaved the way she did. When I thought back to when she began feeling less like a mother and more like an uncaring stranger, I realized it was after our father died. I couldn’t understand how she could turn her back on her offspring when we needed her the most. I didn’t understand, because at that time, I didn’t have a mate of my own.

“We weren’t young children who needed a mother to comfort or console us. We were grown Gargoyles having lived several centuries. We had all dealt with death having fought in battles. We had each other to comfort one another as had been the case since we were young. Being brothers and cousins who were all raised together, we were a united front. Always had the other’s back. Moving from country to country, city to city, even neighborhood to neighborhood so we could remain close. Mother didn’t have that. And when our father was taken from us, she didn’t have him either. Athena was the one who needed someone to take care of her.

“I failed my mother. I failed my father in not taking better care of his mate once he was gone. I cannot imagine my life without Kaya. There is nothing more powerful than the bond between mates. Once that bond is broken, so is the soul left behind. At least that is what I believe. That was our mother – a broken soul. She had every right to pull away from us. She had every right to cast us out of her life. She did that for a while, but when we needed her, she was there. Without question. Without us asking.

“She was there when Dante needed help finding Isabelle. And she was there when her brother kidnapped her to use as a pawn in his game. But our mother didn’t allow Alistair to use her. Instead, she willingly gave her life so her brother no longer had what he thought was his ace. Our mother sacrificed herself for us. Not just her sons and her nephews or her grandchildren. She did that for all of us.”

A white dove flew down from somewhere up above, landing on top of the white casket. It cooed several times before launching itself and flying away. Several gasps were heard, and Uri had to agree that was a rather timely coincidence, if you believed in such things. Rafael laughed and looked up into the sky, smiling.

Turning slightly, Rafael placed his hand on the silver casket. “When I asked for fifty of our best warriors to fight my uncle, I had no doubt Finley would be among the number. He came to New Atlanta twenty years ago, and in those twenty years, I got to know the Irish Goyle. He was loyal. He was fierce. And Finley loved life. He never missed an opportunity to grab life by the ba… horns and go after what he wanted. It didn’t surprise me when he asked to be transferred to the West Coast. By that time, he was ready for the next adventure. He met Sinclair several times when my brother came to visit, and after hearing Sin describe the ocean and the salty air, Fin was hooked. The only thing he regretted about leaving was Urijah. If I’m not mistaken, he tried to convince Uri to go with him.”

Urijah nodded, and Rafael continued. “I wasn’t there in Greece. I wasn’t there to witness those of you who fought for our family. For our Clan. But I have heard several of you recount what happened, and I know this to be as true as if I saw it with my own eyes – the five Gargoyles who lost their lives did so willingly. Everyone who fought looked me in the eye before leaving New Atlanta, and I saw the same thing in each one – loyalty and willingness to put their Clan first. That is what it means to be Gargoyle.

“While the other four males aren’t here, their lives were no less important than Finley’s. And Finley’s life was no less important than Urijah’s, but Finley didn’t hesitate to put himself between a sword and his best friend. He loved Urijah that much. I have no doubt Uri wishes it had been the other way around. That is the meaning of unconditional friendship and the meaning of loyalty. I stand before you today, with a heart full of sadness as well as gratitude, for not only those who fought valiantly, but those who are left behind to remember the loss.”

Rafael stepped back and asked the Gargoyles to join him. One by one, they filed toward the middle of the courtyard and lined up in front of the caskets. Rafael fisted his heart and bowed to his mother’s casket. “To Athena Stefania Di Pietro, I am forever grateful.” As one, the other Gargoyle’s fisted their hearts and repeated his words. Turning to where Finley’s body was enclosed, Rafael fisted his heart and bowed his head. “To Finley Egan MacNevin, I am forever grateful.” As the Gargoyles honored Finley, Urijah choked up, the words coming out broken. Rafael looked out among those gathered and said, “Let us never forget the sacrifice.”

The Gargoyles remained standing while Rafael addressed the small crowd. “Thank you to everyone for being here today. Kaya and I have business to attend, so we will be returning to the villa. Anyone who wishes to remain is welcome. Those who need to return home, the jet is waiting at the airport.”

Rafael and his brothers were gathered around Athena’s casket, saying their final goodbyes. Urijah wasn’t ready to leave Finley, so he made his way to the silver casket. Placing his hand on the metal which was warm from the morning sun’s rays, Urijah whispered, “Thank you, Fin, for being my best friend. I’ll see you again one day on the other side.”